Anybody else feel this way?

I have felt that way and completely understand. My child got sick one day so I had to get off work, try to get an appointment with her pediatrician and when I finally got there, I saw the only pediatrician available. He told me he was not sure what was wrong but to call back if my child was still feeling bad in a few days. I left there thinking - I just paid $20 for this visit, dragged my child down here and am in the same position I was in before. It is also no fun having to watch your child go through that and feel helpless. You are not along. Give it a little longer and then perhaps go back.

Oh yeah. It's completely normal to be frustrated. It's fine :) He *will* get better. They just can't do anything about it. Completely understandable.

A few things may bring him temporary relief though. Try vicks. Put a dab under his nose (Not a lot) and he will breath it in and it should help clear him up a bit. Breath in steam and easy way to do that without sticking his head over a hot pan (That always makes me nervous) just turn on the shower really hot and have him sit in there and let the room steam up.

Blow his nose often, but do it the proper way. It's important to blow your nose regularly when you have a cold rather than sniffling mucus back into your head. But when you blow hard, pressure can carry germ-carrying phlegm back into your ear passages, causing earache. The best way to blow your nose is to press a finger over one nostril while you blow *gently* to clear the other.

Use saline nasal sprays. Salt-water rinsing helps break nasal congestion while also removing virus particles and bacteria from your nose.

Drink plenty of water and get lots of vitamin c!!

Sometimes if you use a hot or cold pack and just put it against their sinuses it can bring some relief.

I know you didn't ask for all this but I thought I would help :)

Hope he gets better soon!

EDIT: I thought you said he was 5....oops! Some of this might be hard to do with a 5 month old....

Yes and get ready because there are many more days like this to come lol. My 6 yr old has an allergy thing going on right now and I have given him allergy meds every night before bed but it seems to help only a little bit, otherwise ther is not much I can do. I have let him sleep with me and it just keeps me up all night with all the coughing. He is having bloody nose issues in his sleep too. Lord help us lol. Did the Dr tell you what is ok to give your baby as far as over the counter cough and nose meds?? You do need to know that. Also keep him slightly elevated at night. I used to put a small pillow or a bed pillow under my son's crip matress when they were babies to keep them from choking on snot or just to keep all of it from settling in their heads. Good luck

try just boiling a pan of water on the stove, for a little more moisture in the air, and cut off the humidifier, so that isn't an issue causing a problem either..a few minutes of boiling water on the stove, releases enough steam for a day or two..and opening a window, for about 10 min. a day will bring in some fresh air to circulate instead of the stale air in the house..fruits instead of meals, will help to, and cereals with fruit, such as oatmeal will help him feel better, and plenty of sleep, this is when his body heals the most, so if you put him down for an extra nap, and he will do it, that helps you both get some rest..baby's seem worse than they really are sometimes because the are not able to get rid of the mucus the way we do..and a warm bath will be relaxing for them too.

When my son was 4 months old he got his first cold- a lot like what you're describing. I used to take him in the bathroom and let the hot water run in the shower for 10 minutes or so. It would make him feel better for 1/2 hour to an hour at a time. :)

It's also a lot easier to pull the snot out in a steamy bathroom.

Awww, there are a few things you acn do additional to what your'e already doing... Is he very congested? You can use the Johnson's vapor bath on babies over 3 months old.. stuff smells awful but it really does help clear them up... Are you using a nasal aspirator to suck his nose out a few times a day? It's hard because they really hate that, but I'd try to get some "Little Noses" saline drops for his nose and then suck it out 3 times a day. I know we just want doctor's to fix everything, but it's rough when little ones have colds because we can't give them anything for symptom relief.

Hope your little one feels better soon!

Absolutely! It's very frustrating not being able to help your child. My 2 year old son and I both just had a wicked cold. We're still getting over it but the worst has past. For two days my son would have horrible coughing fits, every couple of minutes. Then he would cry, which would make it worse. He kept saying, "Mommy, DONE!" which. to him, means 'make it stop'. It broke my heart.

I try to give my son as little medication as possible. We can't give cold/cough meds until they are 4 or 6 (I keep hearing different ages) now anyway. But, like you, I try to do as much as I can.

Prop his crib mattress up to help him breathe

Run a cold mist humidifier - we have one that takes Vicks vapo pads to make his room smell all menthol-y. You can also get ones that just plug into the wall. VERY helpful since you aren't supposed to use the vapo-rub on them anymore.

Give Tylenol (we use Motrin since our son is older now) for any pain and/or fever

Your son is still too young for honey, but once he turns one you can give him honey for a cough.

We also use Hyland's cold and cough meds for our son. It's the only cold/cough 'meds' we can use for our son since he's still too young for actual medication. It's 'all natural' so I feel more comfortable giving it to him. I researched the ingredients and felt it was safe for him.

And, if it gets REALLY bad, I use a teeny bit of children's Benedryl. We had to give that to our son before he was one anyway since he had a reaction to pineapple. I don't think it would be appropriate for a 5 month old, but for future reference.

Also, taking him into the bathroom, turning the shower on super hot and letting the room steam up will help him breathe better. Only for about 15 minutes at a time every few hours.

I hope he gets better soon!!

Try a warm vapor bath and put some vicks vapor plugs in his room to help keep him open.

It sucks. There isn't much you can do at that age other than to let the boogers come out and wait. Most of medicine is waiting and seeing - you'll feel this way many many times in the future, too.

I just try to remember that there is actually nothing a doctor can do for a virus. Anyways, you ARE doing stuff to help out your baby. Look at it this way, he approves of your treatment.

Yeah, I've felt that way. There isn't any blame to be laid, but that doesn't fix your poor son! I hope he starts to feel better soon